News Releases and Statements

Project iGuardian shares information that can help keep children and teens protected from predators and settings online where they could be exploited sexually. The program is tailored to youth of all ages – from young children to teens – as well as parents and educators.  It’s designed to encourage smart online practices and provide safety tips, a number to call to report suspicious activity, and a website with links to more information and resources.

The indictment returned this afternoon charges four men, all of Sinaloa, Mexico, with one count of possession with intent to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment and mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison: Alejo Garcia-Moreno, 54; Benito Garcia-Moreno, 59, Alejo Garcia-Moreno’s brother; Mario Sainz-Aranzubia, 44, a cousin of Alejo and Benito Garcia-Moreno; and Benny Zazueta-Sainz, 28, Sainz-Aranzubia’s nephew.

Jonathan Weiss, a/k/a "Ian_Jameson," is charged with communicating with three different underage victims online and directing them to take sexually explicit images and send them to Weiss.

Ricardo Uribe, 37, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.

Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, 22, from Mexico, residing in San Antonio was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Fred Biery to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

A Gambian man previously residing in Denver, Colorado, was arrested today on torture charges stemming from his actions specifically intended to inflict severe physical pain and suffering on individuals in his custody and control in The Gambia in 2006.

Ezequiel Sandoval-Garcia, 34, is wanted by the country of Mexico.

Jose Luis Rodriguez-Vasquez, 37, is a Salvadoran national wanted by law enforcement authorities for the rape of a minor or disabled person in his native country.

Armen Martirosyan, 62, pleaded guilty today to a federal fraud charge for opening more than a dozen bank accounts, knowing that they would be used to launder fraudulently obtained tax refunds obtained by filing tax returns under stolen identities.

Theron Charles Barron, 28, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal – the same judge who sentenced him in his first child pornography case.

Juan Hernandez was escorted by immigration officers assigned to the ERO Newark field office and turned over to Salvadoran law enforcement authorities without incident.

Harry George Bock II, 47, pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in a scheme to illegally sell protected living rock cactus plants, following an investigation by special agents with ICE's HSI.

Leonidas Navarro, 30, from Zapata, Texas, entered a guilty plea June 8, before U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldana for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens within the country.

ICE HSI Special Agent Edison Sorrentini, from the HSI Sarasota office, was honored as Manatee County Officer of the Year by the Manatee Hundred Club in May.

The cocaine was concealed inside a commercial vehicle.

HSI routinely works with its partner federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to intercept dangerous drugs before they can reach local communities.

Operation Stolen Promise is a national operation aimed at combatting COVID-19 fraud and other related criminal activity.

Utah State Prison honored a detainer placed by ICE March 30, 2016, with the Salt Lake County Adult Detention Center, Utah and released Marco Antonio Garcia Arriaga, 30, directly to ICE custody to affect his removal from the United States.

Troy J Klander, 38, and Zachary D. Salas, 38, are charged with conspiracy to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute. Both remain in custody following a five-month investigation of their drug trafficking activities.

Brett Jarad Monroe, 39, former associate pastor at Heritage Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, pleaded guilty in January to one count of sexual exploitation of a child.

Through the rewards program, up to $5 million is being offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Joselit de la Trinidad Ramirez Camacho, a Venezuelan government official accused of having deep political, social and economic ties to multiple alleged narcotics kingpins, including Tareck EI Aissami.

Jianjun Qiao (喬建軍), 56, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport Friday after being extradited by Sweden. Qiao was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service and was held in federal custody over the weekend.

Luis Angel Burnias-Reyes, 27, a resident of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was indicted by a sitting grand jury in Houston.

Ryan Daniel Crawford, 33, of Austin, Arkansas, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Crawford to pay $2,500 in restitution to one of the victims of his molestation, and sentenced Crawford to 20 years on supervised release following incarceration.